We are constantly refining WHMCS to ensure a safe and robust experience, with new features, bug fixes, and security releases for new and existing supported versions. We are committed to supporting the software that you have purchased a license for and installed.

The Development Cycle #

All WHMCS releases follow a development cycle, from an initial release as a Beta, through multiple development and maintenance tiers, and finally to End of Life (EOL).

We currently support the following versions of WHMCS:

These releases are in the Active Development stage of our development cycle. All prior versions have reached End-of-Life (EOL) and we no longer maintain them or release updates for them, regardless of the reason. If you currently use an EOL version of WHMCS, we recommend updating to a supported version as soon as possible.

Active Development #

The Active Development stage indicates that a version is undergoing refinement and receiving focus from the WHMCS Development team. This is the release that our development team is currently actively maintaining.

• Releases to WHMCS versions in the Active Development period can include bug fixes, security enhancements, minor optimizations, third-party updates, and important or critical updates.
• Because the Active Development version is in the process of active refinement, we typically only have one Active Development version at a time after a version reaches General Availability.
  • We may sometimes extend Active Development for a previously-published version to ensure a smooth transition between versions.
  • We typically do not remove a version from Active Development until the next version has reached General Availability.

Beta #

The Beta release is an initial release that is still undergoing refinement and that may not yet include key features.

Typically, the first Beta release for a version increments the second segment in the version number. For example, the first Beta release might introduce version 1.1 if the previous release was version 1.0.

Release Candidate #

Release Candidate tier releases are useful as a feature preview. These releases will include more features than the original Beta release but are still undergoing testing and refinement.

General Availability #

General Availability releases are feature-complete, well-tested, and ready to use on production servers. Typically, reaching the General Availability tier indicates that the version is now the denoted Active Development version.

Maintenance #

After the version reaches the General Availability release tier, it will continue to receive regular maintenance, bug fixes, and security updates.

Maintenance releases increment the third segment in the version number. For example, the first maintenance release after version 1.0 goes to the General Availability tier would be the 1.0.1 release.

Long-Term Support #

When we begin releasing the next version of WHMCS, we move any previous versions that have not yet reached their EOL date to Long-Term Support (LTS) status.

• LTS versions receive targeted Critical and Security releases from our development and security teams until the EOL date.
• These releases do not include product enhancements or maintenance fixes unless they are critical for the viability of a targeted release.

End-of-Life Status #

The LTS period expires on the End of Life (EOL) date for that version, after which the version is in EOL status. Typically, the EOL date is one year from the date of the original Beta release for that version.

• After the EOL date, we will not provide further releases or updates for that version, regardless of the reason.
• You cannot download EOL releases from WHMCS.

If you have already downloaded and installed an EOL release, it will continue to run as long as your license is valid. However, it will not receive future updates and WHMCS Technical Support may not be able to help you with related issues.

WHMCS Development #

Bug Reports #

When we receive a bug report, we first attempt to verify the issue. If we are able to verify it, we will then create an internal development case, investigate the issue, and schedule the necessary development work. If we generate a case, we will provide the reporter with the case number, which will appear in the future change log when we release the fix.

Bug reports use the following statuses:

We may include the bug fix in a scheduled release or we may publish individual patches (hotfixes) to our Hotfixes Forum to address the issue outside of the normal update structure.

Feature Requests #

We use feature requests to receive suggestions and feedback from WHMCS users. We cannot possibly add every feature that a user requests, which necessitates prioritizing them.

Feature requests use the following statuses:

Last modified: October 31, 2024